The present disclosure relates generally to heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems, and more particularly to systems and methods for refrigerant leak management in HVAC systems.
Residential, light commercial, commercial, and industrial HVAC systems are used to control temperatures and air quality in residences and buildings. Generally, the HVAC systems may circulate a refrigerant through a refrigeration circuit between an evaporator, where the refrigerant absorbs heat and a condenser where the refrigerant releases heat. The refrigerant flowing within the refrigeration circuit is generally formulated to undergo phase changes within the normal operating temperatures and pressures of the system so that quantities of heat can be exchanged by virtue of the latent heat of vaporization of the refrigerant. As such, the refrigerant flowing within a HVAC system travels through multiple conduits and components of the refrigeration circuit. Inasmuch as refrigerant leaks compromise system performance or result in increased costs, it is accordingly desirable to provide detection and response systems and methods for the HVAC system to reliably detect and respond to any refrigerant leaks of the HVAC system.